This invention relates generally to wearing apparel and more particularly to clothing constructed to accomodate the curvature and movement of the human body.
Conventional clothing is typically constructed from a plurality of fabric workpieces which are joined together by forming seams. For competitive purposes, it is desirable to construct garments in ways which minimize the cost of manufacturing. This almost always results in garment pieces which are sewn together using as many straight seams as possible, since straight seams are easily produced inexpensively by machines. Curved or complex seams or stitching, which typically requires manipulation by human sewing machine operators, are kept to a minimum to reduce labor costs required to produce a garment. Such conventional construction techniques produce substantially two-dimensional, flat looking clothing, which is easily folded to take up minimal space in a retail environment, again reducing the cost of stocking product.
However, the human body is a three-dimensional, curved structure formed substantially of generally cylindrical shapes. So, when a garment is worn which maximizes the number of straight seams, the fit is frequently less than optimum, and the fabric of the garment in the direction of limb movement often impedes free movement of the wearer. This is because seams are conventionally located at the side: along the outside or inside edge of the arms or or legs or along the sides of the body. The extra space or room and fabric xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d which is typically found at the seams is therefore wasted, since legs and arms do not bend significantly in a direction to the side, but rather move more frequently in a plane which extends through the longitudinal axes found at the front and rear of the arms, legs and body. As a result, conventional clothing often restricts free and easy movement of the body, particularly when such clothing is close-fitting.
In recent times, customers have responded to restrictive or tight fitting clothing by purchasing clothing which is too large or xe2x80x9cbaggyxe2x80x9d. While such clothing does not restrict movement as a result of being too tight, the excess cloth which is present results in extra weight carried on the body, and can interfere with the free movement of the body by bunching or rubbing when extreme movements are carried out.
Accordingly, the need exists for good fitting clothing which is manufactured specifically to fit the three dimensional, substantially cylindrical shape of the human body in order to provide room for substantially free and comfortable movement.
The present invention provides ergonomic garments constructed from a plurality of workpieces of predetermined dimensions sewn together to form seams, in which at least one seam is curved towards a wearer""s plane of movement.
In one embodiment the ergonomic garment is trousers having two legs, each trouser leg having an inseam and an outseam, and wherein the inseam and outseam curve towards a plane of movement longitudinally bisecting a front longitudinal axis and a rear longitudinal axis of each trouser leg. In the preferred embodiment, the outseam curves towards the front longitudinal axis and the inseam curves towards the rear longitudinal axis.
In another embodiment, the ergonomic garment is a sleeved garment for covering the upper body of a user, each sleeve having at least one seam curving towards a plane of movement longitudinally bisecting a front longitudinal axis and rear longitudinal axis of said sleeve.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for constructing ergonomic garments from a plurality of fabric workpieces, wherein the fabric workpieces are cut to a predetermined size and shape for forming seams between said workpieces which curve towards a plane of movement of one or more limbs of the wearer, and the fabric workpieces so cut are sewn together in a predetermined manner for constructing the garment.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.